"I've seen minority children's faces light up when they see an orchestra with this much diversity, and they can dream about being part of this orchestra," Tuggle said.

From its beginning, the Sinfonietta's goal has been to promote racial inclusiveness in classical music among musicians and audiences. Today the Sinfonietta performs both the standard classical repertoire and works by minority composers in its annual concert series at Symphony Center and Dominican University; provides professional opportunities for young musicians; and conducts outreach programs to expose children and families to classical music.

The Sinfonietta and its supporters celebrated these achievements Saturday night at the Civic Opera house. A crowd of 525 attended the black-tie, $400-person ball, which began with a champagne cocktail reception in the lobby followed by a dinner of bistro steak, rolled filet of tilapia, crepe potatoes and baked Alaska dessert in the theater itself. Guests were seated with musicians from the Sinfonietta, who performed a concert after the meal.

"There's clearly still a need for what we do," said Sinfonietta executive director Jim Hirsch, citing an American Symphony Orchestra League survey from early in this decade, which found that people of color made up only 2 percent of the musicians in U.S. orchestras. Hirsch estimates that people of color make up about 35 percent of the Sinfonietta's members, a diversity that extends to its audiences. "When you come to a Sinfonietta concert, the crowd looks like the orchestra," Hirsch said.

"Music is so important for the soul, and as Americans we feel we should be able to participate in classical music as well," said Sinfonietta founder and music director Paul Freeman as he sat in his dressing room preparing for the performance. Freeman also is music director and chief conductor of the Czech National Symphony Orchestra, and on Sunday he flew to Prague to conduct concerts this week, then take that orchestra on a 15-city tour of the United Kingdom. "It's very difficult to have an international career in one city," he laughed.

The ball also honored Sinfonietta board of directors president Michelle Collins. She is the co-founder of a private equity firm, and is preparing to start a new venture in the fall. "I don't know what that is yet, stay tuned," she said.

CBS 2 meteorologist Steve Baskerville hosts a breakfast benefit for the Sinfonietta each year and once got to conduct the orchestra briefly while filming a story. "You always think it's easy and casual to do until you get the baton. You can mess up the team pretty quickly," he said.

There weren't job opportunities for African-Americans in ballet when Millie Cruzat studied dance as a teen, but after raising her children she joined the Joseph Holmes dance company at age 47 and performed with the troupe for five years. "I went home and sat in the tub every night," she said. Cruzat, a remarkably youthful 80 who maintains her fitness with yoga and running, is a motivational speaker about diet and wellness.

Former state comptroller Roland Burris attended the ball with his wife, Berlean (a member of the orchestra's honorary board of directors), son Roland II and daughter Rolanda. "Their mother named them, it's not my ego," Roland insisted. Roland II, who is a member of the Sinfonietta's board, lamented that while appreciation for music runs in the family, the ability to play it does not. "They spend so much money on piano lessons, and I can't play for anything."